National Federation of the Blind of OregonState Convention 2018, Medford, Oregon

Resolution 2018-01

Background: Blind people have to interact with state agencies to access such services and programs as health insurance, benefits, voting, public school programs, tax forms, vital statistics, legal aid and others. Many times, access to these programs and services requires the filling out of hard copy or inaccessible digital forms. The consequences of not having access to accessible forms can cause delays, loss of confidentiality and the loss of access to services. Forms can be made accessibly and securely using HTML5. HTML5 based forms can be made easily accessible on all devices with screen readers and braille displays. This resolution requires that all Oregon government agencies provide all forms in an accessible HTML5 format. (Note: This resolution has been modified from NFB Resolution 2018-07, which targets federal agencies. The state resolution would target state-level agencies.)

Regarding the Creation of State Government Documents and Forms in HTML5

WHEREAS, for many years blind citizens have been unable to obtain most forms and other government documents in an accessible format; and

WHEREAS, many documents sent to blind people from state agencies are time-sensitive and have severe consequences attached to a missed deadline; and

WHEREAS, hard copy documents are inaccessible to the blind and require outside assistance, denying the blind their rights of confidentiality; and

WHEREAS, PDF documents are often inaccessible to the blind, and the remediation of these documents is both costly and time-consuming; and

WHEREAS, PDF documents cannot be completed on mobile devices using screen-access software nor be made compliant with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AA; and

WHEREAS, all citizens benefit from documents that are properly formatted and easy to read on any device: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon in Convention assembled this ______ day of September, 2018, in the City of Medford, Oregon that we call upon all state agencies to adopt policies requiring that all documents and forms be produced in HTML5-based formats by December 31, 2019; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon these agencies to replace or convert all currently used forms or documents to the HTML5-based format and that these replacement or conversion processes commence on or before January 1, 2020.BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the interim these agencies offer and staff assistance to the blind to fill out these forms in a confidential manner. of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon

2013

One Stop Referrals FOR THE BLIND

WHEREAS, the Oregon Governor’s Task Force on Workforce System Redesign has recently recommended that the State of Oregon develop and implement a “One Stop” system of providing services to all persons seeking employment and rehabilitation services within the State, and

WHEREAS the National Federation of the Blind and its affiliates have monitored the effectiveness of similar programs implemented by other States around the country, and

WHEREAS the National Federation of the Blind has observed that when such “One Stop” systems have been implemented in other states these “One Stop” systems have been in the majority detrimental to the blind rather than beneficial in that they tend to dilute services to the blind because they do not provide personnel specially trained in rehabilitation issues affecting the blind, and

WHEREAS such dilution of services have resulted in blind individuals either not being properly served, a delay in services or even a failure to provide services, and

WHEREAS the most effective “One Stop” systems that have been implemented in other states actually utilize an instant referral component for blind individuals by immediately referring blind and visually impaired individuals to a Commission for the Blind or similar specialized agency designed to assist the unique needs of the blind, and

WHEREAS these referral components have been very successful at averting the dilution of services or even the failure to serve by ensuring that blind individuals are immediately directed to personnel and programs that focus on the specialized needs of the blind,,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED in Convention assembled this 3rd day of November, 2013 in the City of Salem, Oregon, that the National federation of the Blind of Oregon hereby request, encourage and pledge its support for the plan of the Oregon Workforce System Redesign Task Force, and only if, it includes an immediate referral component for all blind and visually impaired consumers to the Oregon Commission for the Blind within the new “One Stop” program.